Touch of Magic by M Ruth Myers Read Free Book Online Page B

problems I was supposed to watch for," she said.
    The tart humor, bouncing off his heavier effort, startled him. He relaxed a little.
    "Here," he said, sliding a photograph out of the envelope that had held the film he'd given her. "Take a good look at Ballieu . Make sure you recog nize him."
    She took a long, thoughtful look and then nodded.
    They stopped in front of the Venice Beach Ath letic Club, an outdoor affair where a few men in sweatbands were working out inside a pen. Beyond, across a stretch of sand, surf crashed and children squealed happily, making what they were discuss ing seem all but unreal. Time to separate, he thought.
    "Any questions?"
    Removing her hat, she brushed back her hair. It smelled of the ocean. She'd been swimming. Ellery experienced a sharp and jolting vision of how it would feel to swim beside her, far from the crowds, far from shore, testing your limits.
    Her eyes were on the distant waves.
    "Someone broke in last night. Searched the house. Nothing taken. Do I tell the police?"
    Again her calm impressed him.
    "First time in your neighborhood?"
    "No. There’ve been a few others."
    He rubbed the back of his hand against his lower lip and thought aloud. "Coincidence, maybe. No body knows about your part in this but me and Oliver and possibly his boss. Unless someone already thinks you were mixed up with Yussuf ," he added grimly.
    He half intended it as bait, but she looked as per plexed as he was. Shrugging, he raised a hand in departure.
    "See you at Fun City."
    "Ellery."
    He turned back sharply at her voice.
    "I have a price for this."
    He hadn't thought she was that kind. Her words disappointed him.
    "Sure. You'll get a per diem."
    "Not cash." Her hands were planted on her hips. " Serafin's an illegal. I want him naturalized. And made my ward. Or I don't leave tomorrow."
    He was motionless, not sure whether he was feel ing anger or the impulse to laugh. Also not sure anymore whether he could believe her earlier promise to do what he said, the way he said to do it. He bit his words off, filled with sarcasm.
    "Anything else?"
    He thought her lips twitched once.
    "One thing. I expect your people to pick up the bill for my underwear."
    He eyed her narrowly, trying to figure out what she was getting at and not giving her the satisfaction of asking. But her eyebrows raised. She knew he was stumped.
    "Silk panties cause static, which I don't need han dling film, Mr. Ellery. I'm damned if I'll wear cotton ones at my own expense!"

Five

    At Christmastime, Channing always received a card from her local Jeep dealership. They loved her. She changed models yearly, equipping them with high-priced extras. The one she drove through the hot, barren stretches of southernmost California was blue, and she was glad of its reliability. Compared with the traffic in Los Angeles, this stretch of highway winding toward the plush Palacio Sol was all but deserted.
    Seeing a service station ahead, she decided to pull over. Her work in remote places had conditioned her to feel more comfortable when her gas gauge read almost full. Besides, she wanted a cool drink. As she pulled up next to the tanks and jumped down, she heard a muffled pounding from the back of the Jeep where her luggage was stowed.
    "Channing! Let me out!"
    She stared. Every bone in her body went hard with anger, vexation, and sudden fear. Whipping out keys, she unlocked the large old trunk that held her stage props.
    " Serafin ! What the hell are you doing in there? You could have suffocated!"
    He looked penitent, and despite his dusky skin, she could see he was flushed.
    "It's got a good lock. I thought I'd be able to open -- "
    "If I hadn't heard you, you could have died in there. Understand? Muerto !" She was feeling pro gressively weak with the aftershock.
    He hung his head, brushing rivulets of sweat from his neck.
    "You said we were going to be like partners. Part ners stick together." His eyes turned up, pleading. "I want to make sure you stay